Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan, says the Akufo Addo-Bawumia led government is fully committed to equipping the youth of the country with skills to improve their employability through Technical and Vocational training.
This, she explained, formed part of the government’s strategy to prepare the youth for in-demand jobs and make them employable in order to lessen youth unemployment, which is part of the efforts to reduce general unemployment in the country.
Mrs Justina Assan made this known during the 2024 Central Region Townhall Meeting and Exhibition put together by the Ministry of Information and the Regional Coordinating Council in Cape Coast, the regional capital.
Addressing the gathering, the minister disclosed that government had constructed Vehicle Maintenance Centres at Cape Coast Technical University, Cape Coast Technical Institute and Asuansi Technical Institute.
The construction of the state-of-the-art facilities, she explained, has boosted technical education in the region and would be expected to efficiently equip the students with hands-on skills for the modern workforce.
She added that the government’s foresight for technical education has led to significant “TVET projects undertaken in various districts in Winneba, Nsuaem Kyekyewere, Biriwa, Enyan Abaasa and Assin Foso”.
She encouraged parents and pupils to disregard the notion that technical or TVET education in particular was meant for only those who were academically weak, saying it was rather the panacea to address shortages in technical and vocational skills.
She informed the gathering that all the 20 TVET institutions in the region have received tremendous support from the central government initiative to promote TVET.
TVET education enhanced jobs prospects for graduates and perfectly aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4, which is quality education and decent work.
Her presentation, with power point illustrations, touched on the impressive strides the government had made in the region with development initiatives meant to improve the standards of living in the region.
Education
She stated that, “Through Free SHS and massive school infrastructure, Akufo-Addo and Bawumia are building a future where every Ghanaian child has access to quality education”, an initiative that aligned with SDG 4.
According to her, SHS enrolment in the Central Region surged from 20,300 in 2016 to 53,980 in 2023, showing a remarkable 165.9% increase under the Akufo-Addo and Bawumia’s Free SHS policy.
She further stated that the Region could boast of 197 Free SHS Infrastructural Projects comprising 58 classroom blocks, dormitories, assembly halls, ICT centres, Science laboratories among others.
Other logistics
She added that the region has received massive logistical support from the government disclosing that a Prado Land Cruiser vehicle has been given to the Regional Director of Education while 22 Pick-ups had been given to all the 22 District Directors of Education
Additionally, 10 Pick-ups have been given to the heads of some selected SHS/SHTS whereas 34 buses have been donated to some SHS/SHTSs with additional 153 Motor bicycles given out to School Improvement Support Officers (SISOs).
Presidential advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, who walked the gathering through what the government had done in the area of health since 2017 gave thrilling accounts of the Euroget projects and progress of Agenda 111 initiatives in the region.
On her part, Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mavis Hawa Koomson, explained the gains the sector had made since the introduction of the closed season and promised that government would continue to make policies that would sustain the fisheries sector.
